1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The current study aimed to extend prior research by using a dyadic analysis design to examine an integrative model in which sexual satisfaction mediates the associations between one’s dissatisfaction with one’s own and partner’s body and relationship satisfaction in men and women who are in a committed cohabitating heterosexual relationship.» (p. 431)

Questions/Hypothèses :
The authors first «hypothesized that […] women’s own body dissatisfaction will be negatively associated with sexual satisfaction, which will be positively related to relationship satisfaction in women […], and that […] no association will be found between women’s dissatisfaction with their partner’s body and sexual and relationship satisfaction in women […]. [They secondly] hypothesized that […] no association will be found between men’s own-body dissatisfaction and their sexual and relationship satisfaction […], and that […] men’s dissatisfaction with their partner’s body will be negatively associated with sexual satisfaction, which will be positively related to relationship satisfaction in men […]. Regarding the influence of one’s own body image on the partner’s relationship outcomes, [the authors thirdly proposed that] the evaluation of women’s bodies, whether it comes from the women themselves or from their partner, would be more influential in the prediction of relationship and sexual satisfaction of their partners than men’s bodies.» (p. 431)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«A convenience sample of heterosexual couples (n = 231) was recruited online […]. The inclusion criteria were: [to be] currently involved in a heterosexual relationship, [to be] aged 18 years or older, and […] cohabiting with their romantic partner for at least 6 months. [...] A total of 323 women and 254 men completed a substantial part of the questionnaires. From those, 231 couples were formed as only participants whose partner also completed the survey were included in the analyses.» (p. 431)

Instruments :
Questionnaires

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

This study’s «results showed significant actor effects that differed between women and men. In women, sexual satisfaction was found to be a valid mediator of the association between body dissatisfaction and relationship satisfaction. That is, women’s body dissatisfaction was associated with lower self-reported relationship satisfaction through poorer self-reported sexual satisfaction. In men, dissatisfaction with their partner’s body was negatively associated with their own relationship satisfaction, and sexual satisfaction did not mediate this association. These results demonstrate that men who reported greater dissatisfaction with their partner’s body reported less relationship satisfaction. Additionally, no partner effects were observed in the model; that is, men’s and women’s dissatisfaction with their own and their partner’s body were unrelated to their partner’s sexual and relationship satisfaction. The present findings are important because they suggest that body image issues are associated with negative relationship outcomes through distinct pathways for men and women. In women, sexual satisfaction partly explains the relationship between body dissatisfaction and relationship satisfaction […].» (p. 438-439) «For men, […] it was dissatisfaction with their partner’s body that was associated with greater relationship dissatisfaction, and this association was not mediated by sexual dissatisfaction.» (p. 439)